The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1887-05-25
n TIE BATH ROOM.
A CLEAN OLD CUSTOM HANDED
DOWN FROM ANTIQUITY.

DOWN FROM ANTIQUITY.
The Various styles of Baths, Their HIS
tory and Characteristios-Ths Primi-
tive Bath-Turkish and Russian Baths
The Mud Hath.
The bath "a as old az the hills. II comes
down from the most remote antiquity.
The Egyptians used to battle in the Nile.
The Hebrews made bathing compulsory
by law, and the Mohammedans and Hin
docs enforce it as duty Of religion
Public baths were among the public iusti-
tutians OF the ancient Egyptians, Greeks
and Romans II PhAraohs lovely
daughter hadn't gone bathing In the Nile
Moses might never have been discovered
IN the bullrushes. II Nausicaa and her
fair companions had not bathed them
selves IN the waters Of the sea the ship
wrecked Ulysses might never have been
rescued 50 il will be seen that the bath
is hoary venerable and patriarchal.
But the primitive bath was simple
process compared with the elaborate tath
II modern times II WAS merely n
plunge into the limpid water OF some
flowing stream. Now the bath is sclen-
title process, presided over by competent
attendants and regulated by the watch
aud tho thermometer. The bath most
popular with the American people, bar
ring. Of course, the domestic tub. il tho
Turkish bath Why it is called Turk
lsh surpasseth all understanding 1t IS
probably. though, because the Turks re-
cline In n most luxuriant bath in perfumes
10 a.fo If thp
bic hnsin grow fragrant flowers and bloom
ing rose trees, filing the apartment with
their ravishing scent. The Turkish bath
was first introduced into England about
the middle Of the Dos by n noblenan,
Dnyid Urquhart By name, who had re-
ceiyel the impression in the Orient. TINS
country adopted the Turkish bath about
twenty ycars ago.
TAXING a TURKISH BATH
Have You ever taken Turkish bath
M Then. in the language Of Edwin
Forrest. you have never risen 10 the dig
nifty of being personally clean.
When YOU 20 To u Turkish bath house
you first enter the office, where you regis
ter, deposit your valuables and receive n
check for them Then you pass into the
muctaly "Muctaly must be the Turk
for cool room. At any rate muetaly Is the
cool room. In one Of the numerous com
partments Of this apartment you disrobo
/ and invest yourself in n bathing garment,
then you pass into the warm roomi tho
tcpidanum, they call il, where You en-
counter "A temperature Of 100 to 14O dogs.
Fahrenheit Here you reclinc on couch
until the perspiration is freely started.
/ When the skin has become sufficiently
/ soft and moist-thc attendant frequently
passes his hand over the body to ascertain
| il il has arrived at the proper state-you
are ushered into the hot roOm which -
plain English for the caldanum, as tho
apartment is called. where the temperature
is 40 dogs higher than in the warm room.
In the hot room the attendants lay you
upon "A heated marble slab, and the
porspiration becomes more and more pro-
fuse, while the attendant thoroughly
manipulates the body with II towel From
this room you pass into still hotter not
room, where the temperature is 220 to 24O
/ degrees. You perspire few more times
in this room, when you are conducted into
| the shampooing room, where enough tepid
water il sprinkled over you to remove the
perspiration. Then you IRE stretched out
upon another marble slab and receive
another manipulation The wind up con-
sists in the ats ndant thoroughly washing
the body with lather Of soap and water,
sprinkling the bather over with tepid
spray, and the bather taking II plunge in
the swimming bath
THE RUSSIAN BATH.
The Russian bath IL so called because
the Russians from long ago have INDUCED
in hot vapor bath The Russian bath
differs from the Turkish bath in this
essential particular In n Russian bath
the room is filled with bot vapor; in the
| Turkish bath the room is filed with hot
! air.
The Russian bath is attaining popu-
larity with the busy, bustling American
| people for the reason that it doesn't tako
long a Russian bath can be taken in n
quarter the time that it requires for II
| Turkish bath. a comparatively new idea
! in baths is tho electric bath This is a
Inedcatcd bath prescribed for neuralgia,
rheumatism ard all forms OF nervous dis
| orders The bathcrS enter n bath tub,
around the inside Of which nrc number
of electric buttons. During the bath Il
current Of electricity is turned into the
water through these conductors from
battery, manipulated by an attendant.
The sensation, instead OF being unplea-
SAINT or producing n shock such rs con-
tact with battery produces is said to be
one of intense delight.
The mud bath Is INDUCED In almost en-
tircly as a remedy for blood disorders.
The bather is placed in n bath tub and
| covered up to the chin with n thick cont
ing of heated mud. As one coating cools
off fresh warm coating Is applied. This
heated mud is supposed to act as poul-
tice and draw out the impurities Of the
system. There is one popularity about
the Turkish bath that is not generally
known, and that Is its influence to pre-
serve the equilibrium of the bathor's
weight. If the bathcr is above his normal
weight, that is, above IL weight suitable to
his build and temperament, the Turkish
bath will reduce him II he is below his
normal weight it will increase it.-Cin-
cinnati Enquirer.